Synopsis

Miss Dorothy-Jane Was Ever So Vain by Julie Fulton

About the Author

Julie was brought up on Dr. Seuss books, hence her love of rhyme and the slightly crazy. She started her working life as a class teacher in middle schools, before progressing to Head of Music in a couple of secondary schools in Devon. Julie now teaches piano/woodwind/voice privately in Worcestershire, which gives her more time to indulge in her lifelong passion for writing. Being a musician Julie enjoys the rhythms inherent in poetry and rhyme.Her first book, Mrs MacCready was ever so greedy, is a comic rhyming story, whichfollows the greedy Mrs MacCready until she quite literally explodes. It was a hit from theoffset.Tabitha Posy was published in January 2013 and follows a very nosy child and the trouble she gets into when visiting the local zoo! Both books are fantastically illustrated by Jona Jung.Julie relaxes by singing in choirs and going toconcerts/hearing bands. Oh yes, she is also learning ballroom and latin dancing - Julie says, “Writing is MUCH easier!”

Julie Fulton on Rhyming Books

"New rhyming books are becoming a bit of a rarity, with publishers preferring prose to translate for foreign rights. It seems a shame, as parents and children love rhyme. Some of the most famous children’s books are written in rhyme. In my opinion, they’re that extra bit special and make a great bedtime story.

There’s more inherent rhythm in a rhyming text, more fun to be had marching around reciting, or acting out, the story. Young children love the sounds words make. Thinking up more words to rhyme with those read in a book, or even coming up with brand new ones, is a great way to get children to explore the wonderful world of language.

Children learn rhyming texts off by heart, joining in with Mum or Dad as they read a popular story again and again. (Hopefully, the fun in the rhyming will make this a little less onerous for said parent/reader!) When they begin to read for themselves, this makes it easier to pick out words and learn their shapes and sounds.

There’s a place for every type of book, but let’s make sure the rhyming ones are always there to be enjoyed."